Kentucky Governor reveals he received calls suggesting Senator Mitch McConnell had passed during hospitalization before proof of life photo

The governor of Kentucky said he was getting phone calls suggesting Republican Senator Mitch McConnell was dead before his proof of life photo was published last week.

Andy Beshear, the state’s Democrat governor, said that multiple ‘agencies’ called him prior to the photo insinuating that McConnell was dead.

McConnell, 84, shared a photo of himself holding a newspaper amid intense speculation over his health. He claimed a fall had left him ‘briefly unconscious,’ ending weeks of silence from his office about his hospitalization and absence from Capitol Hill. 

But Beshear is calling for greater transparency and urging him to be honest with constituents about his ability to serve.

‘It had been a month before anything had been put out, not even an official statement from Senator McConnell,’ Beshear said of the proof of life image in an interview with Katie Couric. 

‘In fact, I’d gotten two calls from different agencies – not state agencies – suggesting he’s passed.

He said that while McConnell is entitled to ‘a level of privacy’ about his health, he needs to be forthright with those he works for. 

‘When you’ve been in a hospital for a month, and you’ve missed all the votes, which is your job, you owe your boss, like anybody else out there who works, an explanation of what’s been going on and when you’ll get back,’ Beshear said Thursday.

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Sen. Ron Johnson Casts Doubt on Photo of Mitch McConnell in Hospital: Heard from a Source It ‘Was an Older Photo’

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) cast doubt on a photo shared by Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) of himself and his wife, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, in the hospital, stating that he heard it “was an older photo.

During an interview on Real America’s Voice Bolling! with host Eric Bolling, Johnson was asked if he believed the photo of McConnell was recent. Johnson acknowledged that while he has not spoken to McConnell, who is reported to have been hospitalized since June 14, he heard from a source that it “was an older photo.”

“Now, Mitch McConnell. Can we talk a little Mitch McConnell too? Because I saw a picture that I’m not sure I believe is actually Mitch McConnell from the hospital,” Bolling said. “After what I’ve heard and what I’ve seen, do you believe Mitch McConnell is the one who said, ‘I’m okay, here’s a picture of my wife, Elaine Chao and I’ in that hospital bed?”

“I just heard from some other source, that was an older photo,” Johnson responded. “So, I really don’t know. I haven’t talked to Mitch. I certainly wish he and his family well, I hope he can recover. Listen, it’s sad to watch people age, no matter who that person is.”

Johnson later issued a statement on social media, warning people to “beware of clickbait” and to listen to the full interview, the Hill reported.

“Most importantly, I hope @SenMcConnell makes a full recovery and returns to the Senate,” Johnson added.

McConnell released a photo of himself and Chao in the hospital, and a statement expressing that he and Chao “have appreciated” people’s “well wishes” and questions.

“To my fellow Kentuckians, when you elected me to a seventh term and made me our Commonwealth’s longest serving Senator, you did so trusting that I’d keep showing up to fight for you every day,” McConnell said in his statement. “And over the past several weeks, Elaine and I have appreciated both your well wishes and your honest questions about what was keeping me away from the Senate.”

McConnell’s statement continued to share that his doctors confirmed he “didn’t break any bones or suffer a concussion.”

“I didn’t have a heart attack or a stroke,” McConnell added. “I don’t have any tumors or hemorrhages. But I was briefly unconscious and was taken to the hospital. While receiving excellent care over the past several weeks, I’ve also had to deal with a mild case of pneumonia.”

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Mitch McConnell’s Wife, Elaine Chao, Issues Statement Addressing His Health Upon Her Return from China

Former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, wife of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, has issued a statement after returning to the United States from a trip to China, addressing questions about why she did not immediately return when her husband was hospitalized on June 14.

The statement emphasized that Chao was already abroad on a previously scheduled trip supporting her family’s philanthropic work when McConnell was admitted to the hospital, and that his condition at the time did not require her to cut the trip short.

“The secretary was on a long-planned trip in China to support her family’s philanthropic endeavors,” the statement, obtained by WLKY, began.

“During the trip, she met with a number of people, including the US ambassador. The Senator’s health did not warrant an immediate return to the US,” the statement continued.

The statement also noted that Senator McConnell appreciates the outpouring of support he is receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital.

It did not provide any new information about his condition.

Chao returned to the United States earlier this week after spending roughly three weeks in China. She had begun her trip on June 12, just two days before her husband’s hospitalization.

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Seriously? McConnell Releases Statement, Says No Stroke or Heart Attack – But Instead, He Had a Fall That Has Kept Him Hospitalized for a Month!?

Former Senate Majority Leader and Trump-hater Mitch McConnell, 84, has not appeared in the Senate for three weeks after being hospitalized in mid June for an undisclosed medical condition.

He has not appeared in public since he landed in the hospital on June 14th when he was found unconscious.

His office has declined to reveal details of the illness or provide a timetable for his return.

Leaked emergency dispatch audio from a June 14 call indicated McConnell was reportedly found unconscious at his Kentucky home and may have suffered a heart attack.

Meanwhile, McConnell’s wife, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, traveled to Beijing following the hospitalization, where she met with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng.

Her office said McConnell’s condition “did not warrant an immediate return to the U.S.”

There has been much speculation about his well-being since he landed in the hospital nearly a month ago.

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CNN Hack Falls for Satirical Tweet from Fictitious Republican Lawmaker While Reading List of Comments Regarding Mitch McConnell’s Health

A CNN anchor made an embarrassing blunder this week while reading off what she thought was a quote from a GOP lawmaker regarding Senator Mitch McConnell (RINO-KY).

As The Gateway Pundit reported, McConnell was reportedly found unconscious in his DC home last month before he was rushed to the hospital.

While the 84-year-old Kentucky Senator is supposedly “receiving excellent care,” it is still unclear why McConnell was admitted to the hospital. However, he may have had a heart attack, according to newly released audio of a 911 call.

During Wednesday’s edition of “CNN This Morning,” anchor Audie Cornish shared a series of statements from Republicans who said they had recently spoken with McConnell.

“We have a lot of Senate Republicans coming out, we’re just going to show some on-screen,” Cornish said. “All saying, I talked to him, I talked to him, I talked to him for 20 minutes, I talked to him for 45 minutes.”

Among the comments Cornish read off were from CNN contributor Scott Jennings and statements attributed to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-WY).

She also showed a post from the X account @RepJackKimble, thinking that he was a real person as well.

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Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear Requests Update on Mitch McConnell’s Health After Rumors He Is ‘Brain Dead’

Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY) requested that Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) “fully update” Kentucky residents on his health status as rumors surfaced that he may be “brain dead.”

In a letter addressed to McConnell, Beshear said that Kentuckians have been concerned about McConnell’s health and his ability to continue to hold his position in the United States Senate. The senator is reported to have been hospitalized since he was admitted on June 14.

“Over the last several weeks, Kentuckians have grown increasingly concerned about the current state of your health and wellbeing, and ability to hold office in the United States Senate,” Beshear wrote. “As Governor, I request that you fully update Kentuckians regarding the current status of your health.”

Beshear’s letter comes after conservative activist Laura Loomer and journalist Desiree Townsend claimed that unnamed sources alleged that “McConnell is officially brain dead.”

“High level source close to the White House tells me Mitch McConnell is officially brain dead,” Loomer wrote in a post on X. “He’s not coming back.”

However, a spokesperson for McConnell told Breitbart News that the senator “appreciates the outpouring of support he’s receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital.”

“The Senator continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session,” the spokesperson added.

After the rumor surfaced that McConnell was “brain dead,” several people, including CNN’s Scott Jennings,  said they had spoken to him. A spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said Thune had also spoken to McConnell.

“I spoke to my old friend Mitch McConnell this morning, the senior Senator from Kentucky,” Jennings wrote in a post on X. “He’s still recovering in the hospital. We talked for just shy of 20 minutes … about IRAN, UKRAINE, the unfolding situation in MAINE, my visit to the TR Presidential Library, and even a little bit of Senate history.”

Beshear continued in his letter: “As public officeholders, we have made a commitment to our constituents to do our best to represent them and to always be transparent. I believe this requires clear communication about one’s ability to serve.”

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Laura Loomer, Reporter Claim Hospitalized Mitch McConnell Is ‘Brain Dead’

Conservative activist Laura Loomer and journalist Desiree Townsend both claimed Monday that Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has been declared “brain dead,” citing unnamed sources.

UPDATE: In response to the claims, a spokesperson for McConnell said the senator continues to improve in the hospital and is working closely with his staff on “Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session.”

“Senator McConnell appreciates the outpouring of support he’s receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital. The Senator continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session,” the spokesperson told Breitbart News.

The original story continues below.

Loomer wrote on X that, according to a senior source she said was close to the White House, McConnell had been declared brain dead and was not expected to recover.

“High level source close to the White House tells me Mitch McConnell is officially brain dead. He’s not coming back,” Loomer posted.

Townsend later reposted Loomer’s post, saying she had heard the same information from her own sources. She also claimed McConnell’s Capitol Police detail was still at the hospital.

“I have heard the same thing from my sources for days,” Townsend wrote. “At this point, I am at the hospital for when they eventually decide to move cut him off of life support and move his body. His Capitol police detail is still here as of 3:39pm ET.”

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Mitch McConnell still hospitalized after EMS responded to his home for “unconscious” person last month

Sen. Mitch McConnell remains in the hospital and “continues to improve,” a spokesperson for the Kentucky Republican said in a statement Thursday, just over two weeks after he was initially hospitalized.

McConnell was hospitalized on June 14. On the same day, emergency medical personnel went to his home to respond to an unconscious person, according to a public EMS dispatch call reviewed by CBS News this week.

During the call, a dispatcher called in a “cardiac arrest” and a medic said there was “CPR in progress” at McConnell’s address. The dispatcher also said somebody was “unconscious.” The senator’s name is not mentioned during the EMS call, and CBS News has not confirmed the identity of the unconscious person.

McConnell’s team has not confirmed that the dispatch call was about the senator or provided more information about why he was admitted to the hospital. 

“Senator McConnell appreciates the outpouring of support he’s receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital,” the spokesperson said in a statement Thursday. “The Senator continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session.”

McConnell, a childhood polio survivor, has faced several health scares in recent years. In a May 19 committee hearing, the 84-year-old was seen with a bandage around his hand. In February, McConnell spent more than a week in the hospital after he checked himself in for “flu-like symptoms.” 

In 2023, he was hospitalized with a concussion after a fall and later appeared to freeze in two separate instances. He suffered minor injuries in 2024 after another fall. 

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McConnell’s China-Connected Wife Met with China’s VP in Beijing 3 Days After Her Husband Was Rushed to Hospital

Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao traveled to Beijing just three days after her husband, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), was rushed to the hospital following an apparent heart attack that required CPR.

Chao, a former transportation secretary, met with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng on June 17. There are images published by Chinese outlets showing the two seated together during talks ostensibly focused on relations between Washington and Beijing.

In his meeting with Chao, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng called for China and the United States to take more steps to improve ties, saying both sides should work together to move the relationship forward. He said the two countries should follow through on the consensus reached by their leaders to build a more constructive and stable U.S.-China relationship.

Chao’s trip came as McConnell’s office continued to provide only limited information about the senator’s health. While aides have acknowledged that McConnell remains hospitalized, they have not publicly addressed the extent of his condition or explained how his Senate business is being managed during his absence.

“Senator McConnell was admitted to the hospital this morning. He is receiving excellent care,” spokesperson David Popp said in a statement on June 14.

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McConnell’s Office Releases Statement After 911 Call Reveals Senator Was Found Unconscious in His DC Home

Senator Mitch McConnell’s office released a statement on Thursday after it was revealed that the Kentucky lawmaker was found unconscious in his DC home last month.

The 84-year-old Senator is still hospitalized according to his spokesperson.

“Senator McConnell appreciates the outpouring of support he’s receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital. The Senator continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session,” the statement said.

McConnell was rushed to the hospital a couple of weeks ago and was “receiving excellent care” his spokesman said.

It is still unclear why McConnell was admitted to the hospital.

However, he may have had a heart attack, according to the newly released audio of a 911 call.

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